Variable-speed mechanism.



D. E. GROUSE & 0. G. EIDSON.

VARIABLE SPEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1912.

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DAVID E. CROUSE AND CHARLES e. mason,

OF AN N APOLIS, MARYLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THE AUTO AIR APPLIANCE COMPANY,OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPO- RATION OF MARYLAND.

VARIABLE-SPEED MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 20, 1912. Serial No. 721,391..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DAVID E. CRoUsE and CHARLES G. EIDSON, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Annapolis, in the county of AnneArundel and State of Maryland, have made certain new and use- 1Improvements in Variable-Speed Mechanisms, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to improvements in variable speed mechanism, andit consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements hereindescribed and claimed.

An object of our invention is to provide a variable speed mechanism foruse in automobiles and similar vehicles which will dispense with thenoise ordinarily occasioned when gears are brought into mesh.

A further objectof our invention is to provide variable seed mechanismin which the changing of t e speed is accomplished by the mere shiftingof a switch in an electric circuit.

A further object of our invention is to provide an efiicient means forproducing a change of speed in a driven shaft, this change of speedbeing effected by the use of certain clutches operated by compressedair, which is in turn controlled by magnets, the latter being undercontrol of the operator.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,and the novel features of the device will be particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming partof this application in which- Figure 1 is a section through the casingand through one of the clutches contained therein, the other clutchesbeing shown in plan view, Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View of the circuitsfor'controlling the magnets, and Fig. 3 is a sectiona View of one of themagnets.

In carrying out our invention we provide a casing 1 in which isjournaled one end of a driving shaft 2, this shaft being provided with afly-wheel 3 on the outside of the casing. The end of the driving shaft 2is provided with a clutch member 4 arranged v auxiliary shaft 10 is 11,and is 14 and 15.

A series of clutches is provided for connecting the auxiliary shaft 10with the driving shaft 2. These clutches are shown at B, C and D. Theclutch on the driving shaft 2 which connects it directly with the drivenshaft 6, we will designate in general by A. These clutches may be of anysuitable type. The specific construction of the clutches themselvesforms no part of the present invent-ion. In the present instance, wehave illustrated these clutches as being of the multiple-disk type. Adescription of one will suflice for all. The clutch B is provided with agear 16 on a shaft 17, which bears a clutch member 18. The co-actingclutch member 19 is on a short shaft 20, which bears a gear 21 arrangedto mesh with the gear 12.

The meansv for operating the clutches consists of the magnets E,'F, Gand H, which control the entrance of air into the cylininders is shownin Fig. 3. It will be undermeans by which air is admitted into thecylinder is shown in Fig. 3. It will be understood that in describingthis magnetic aircontrolling device specifically, we do so merely forthe purpose of illustration, since any other suitable magneticcontrolling means might be used.

Referring now to Fig. 3, we have shown therein a casing a containing anelectromagnet b. The latter is provided with a slidable armature cdisposed in an extension d. The armature is provided with a stem 0, oneportion of which forms a valve f arranged to seat in the upper side of apartition g and having. an end portion 71. arranged to seat on the lowerside of the partition. A sprin i normally keeps the lower valve closed,an the upper valve open. An inlet pipe I: is arranged to be connectedwith a source of motive fluid is, such as compressed air or steam. Apipe at communicates with the passage ;0 in the partition 9. An exhaustpipe 9 communicates with the space above the partition 9.

The cylinders I, K, L and M are all provided with pistons, such as thatshown at 22. The piston rod 23 connects with a yoke 24 hearing at itsend a plate 25. Between the plate 25 and the clutch member 18 are dis-LOO posed anti-friction balls 26. The piston 22 i is normally pressed onby a spring 27.

As will be seen from the drawing the gear 8 meshes with a gear 28 andthe gear 9 with the gear 29. The gear 30 of the clutch member C mesheswith the gear 13 on the shaft 10, while the gear 31 meshes with the gear14. A gear 321911 the shaft 6 engages a gear 33 on a shaft 34. Thelatter is provided with a gear 35, which engages the gear 15 on theshaft 10. All the gears with the exception of the gears 12, 13 and 14are of the same size and are represented by unity. The gear 14 islarger. For instance, it may be of a diameter of 1.75, while the gears12 and 13 are still larger and their diameters may be represented by3.5. It will be a parent that when the clutches A, B or are thrown inthe driven shaft 6 will revolve in the same direction as the drivingshaft 2. When, however, the clutch C is thrown in the driven shaft 6will revolve in an opposite direction. The clutch B when thrown in willgive a low speed forward, the clutch G a low reverse speed, the clutch Dan intermediate forward speed, and the clutch A a high forward speed. Inthe drawing we have shown the piston in the cylinder M as connected witha lever s pivoted at t for operating the yoke u of the clutch A.

In Fig. 2 the circuits which operate the magnets are showndiagrammatically. The battery B is connected on one side with themagnets E, F, G and H, and on the other side with a foot-switch 36,which is normally held by a spring 37 against a contact 38. The latterleads to a rotatable switch arm 39, whose end is arranged to engage thecontacts 40, 41, 4:2 and 43, which correspond to the reverse, low,intermediate and high speeds. I

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, theoperation thereof may be readily understood.

Let us assume that the operator wishes a low forward speed. He moves thearm 39 to the contact 41, shown in Fig. 2. Immediately thereupon themagnet attracts its armature, which moves the valve H to establishcommunication between the pipes k and m, thereby permitting air to enterthrough the inlet pipe into the cylinder 1. The piston is forcedforwardly against the tension of the spring 27 and the yoke 24 pressesthe plate 25 against the anti-friction balls 26, thereby forcing theclutch member 18 into frictional engagement with the clutch member 19.The shaft 2 therefore communicates its motion through the medium of thegears 7, 16, the clutch B, gears 21, 12, 15, 35, 33 and 32. The shaft 6will be driven in a forward direction, but at a slower speed. Similarlyeach ofthe clutches may be brought into operation by the mere shiftingof the, switch arm 39, and the desired speed may be Loeaeaa attainedwithout the bodily shifting of gears. Hence the grinding noise, which isso objectionable (in vehicles where variable speeds are obtained bymeans of the movement of gears into and out of mesh with one another) isavoided. This saves great wear on the mechanism, and in fact provides asnoiseless a variable speed mechanism as it is possible to obtain. Whenthe operator wishes to disconnect any of the clutches, he may do so bypressing on the foot switch 26, thereby breaking the circuit of thecontrol magnet of any particular clutch. \Vhen the armature of thecontrol magnet retracts, thevalve g is seated, thereby cutting off thecompressed air from the cylinder, while the valve f is unseated, therebypermitting the escape of the air from the cylinder through the exhaustg.

In case it should be desirable to operate the clutches manually, we mayprovide an operating lever W whose arm w is connected with the piston oryoke in such a manner that when the lever is shifted it will force theclutch members together. Such a lever is shown in connection with thepiston rod 23 of the piston 22 in Fig. 1. The lever W is to be used inconnection with the pneumatic operating mechanism, so that the operatormay have control of the clutches in case the pneumatic means shouldfail.

We claim 1. In a variable speed mechanism, a driving shaft, a drivenshaft, an auxiliary shaft, connections between the driving shaft and theauxiliary shaft for driving the latter, a plurality of gears on saidauxiliary shaft for producing different speeds, a gear on said drivenshaft corresponding to each speed, an intermediate gear permanently inmesh with each of the gears on said auxiliary shaft, an intermediategear permanently in mesh with each of the gears on said driven shaft, aclutch for each speed arranged to transmit the movement of one of saidintermediate gears to the other, pneumatic means for operating each ofsaid clutches, and magnetic means for controlling the pneumatic means.

2. In a variable speed mechanism, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, anauxiliary shaft, connections between the driving shaft and the auxiliaryshaft for driving the latter, a plurality of gears on said auxiliaryshaft for producing different speeds, a gear on said driven shaftcorresponding to each speed, an intermediate gear permanently in meshwith each of the gears on said auxiliary shaft, an intermediate gearpermanently in mesh with each of the gears on said driven shaft, aclutch for each speed arranged to transmit the movement of one of saidintermediate gears to the other, a cylinder associated with each clutch,a piston in said cylinder, a yoke connecting said solenoid and saidpiston with said clutch, and a solenoid for controlling the passage ofmotive fluid into the cylinder.

3. In a variable speed mechanism, a drivlng shaft, a driven shaft, anauxiliary shaft, connections between the driving shaft and the auxiliaryshaft for driving the latter, a plurality of gears on said auxiliaryshaft for producing different speeds, a gear on said driven shaftcorresponding to each speed, anintermediate gear permanently in meshwith each of the gears on said auxiliary shaft, an intermediate gearpermanently in mesh with each of the gears on said driven shaft, aclutch for each speed arranged to transmit the movement of one of saidintermediate gears to the other, a cylinder associated with each clutch,a piston in said cylinder, a yoke connecting said piston with saidclutch, a solenoid for controlling the passage of motive fluid into thecylinder, a switch having contact points corresponding to each of saidsolenoids, and electric circuit connections between said switch.

4. In a variable speed mechanism, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, anauxiliary shaft, connections between the driving shaft and the auxiliaryshaft for driving the latter, means disposed between said auxiliaryshaft and said driven shaft for operating the latter at varying speed,said means compristween the gears on auxiliary shaft, gears onintermediate gears bethe auxiliary shaft and the gears on thedrivenshaft, clutches for transmitting motion of certain of saidintermediate gears to others of said intermediate gears, pneumatic meansfor operating each of said clutches, and magnetic'means for controllingthe pneumatic means.

5. In a variable speed mechanism, adriving shaft, a driven shaft, anauxiliary shaft, connections between the driving shaft and the auxiliaryshaft for driving the latter, means disposed between said auxiliaryshaft and said driven shaft for operating the latter at varying speed,said means comprising gears on said auxiliary shaft, gears on saiddriven 'shaft, intermediate gears between the gears on the auxiliaryshaft and the gears on the driven shaft, clutches for transmittingmotion of certain of said intermediate gears to others of saidintermediate ing gears. on said said driven shaft,

gears, a cylinder associated with each clutch,

a piston in said cylinder, a yoke connecting said piston with saidclutch, and a solenoid for controlling the passage of motive fluid intothe cylinder.

. DAVID E. CROUSE.

CHAS. G. EIDSON. Witnesses:

J. M. PREUMAN, E. LYNN WHITE.

